Book Review: Ameriqaeda by Markus Kane

By LESLIE WRIGHT, BLOGCRITICS.ORG

Updated 4:38 pm, Tuesday, April 26, 2011

In a post 9/11 world, when anger and excuses seem to have waned, a new type of terrorist organization has begun to seep into the very consciousness of the United States. Years in the making, working on and manipulating those most in need, an organization yet unnamed, makes its entrance into the landscape. The entire fabric and planning is both masterminded and directed by one man, Dr. Oberon Crevan. He has both the means and opportunity to create an apocalyptic scenario. His intelligence is off the charts, and he is well respected in his field. And yet there is something off, something about him that makes him think in a different realm; he feels as if he is more than human, more than his fellow man. And as such he has the right to decide both life and death on a global scale.

Special Agent Ian Gray has been in the FBI for some time. Undercover assignments were his strong point, and he had just completed his most recent. As he is debriefed and ready to get his next assignment, he finds that his Section Chief, Donald Crowhurst, has concerns about his mental fitness. He is ordered to stand down for some rest. Taking the time to make his own decisions, he unwinds with his son. This time is precious; his son, born with Down's Syndrome, is a joy and helps to center him. With his wife’s death, this is his one anchor, and it keeps him working and helping keep the world safe.

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As he unwinds, he receives a call from Dr. Amanda Fuller, a prior colleague of his wife. He agrees to meet her not even beginning to understand the sequence of events that will be set in place by this visit. She is reaching out because she has a story; no one believes her and he is her last hope. Gray thanks her for thinking of him and gives her some suggestions of people to talk to and forgets her almost as soon as he leaves the meeting.

When Dr. Fuller is found murdered within hours of talking to him, Ian is contacted by another faction of the government, by another man he once worked with, Harold MacMillan, DDI of the CIA. Known as Mac, his group has been following the information as well as the deaths reported by Dr. Fuller and have grave concerns. In order for the information that she reported to have been covered up, by both CDC as well as government agencies, there is high expectation of a mole. Knowing and prior working experience with Gray makes him a person of interest to help investigate further. Being on leave from the FBI gives him some time, but it also creates some conflicts.

As Gray investigates for Mac, he is drawn into the very depth of the organization of Dr. Crevan, named by the CIA as Ameriqaeda. He is teamed up with another operative, Special Agent Lynd. As information begins to flow, the FBI and Gray’s Boss Crowhurst become involved in an effort to put an end to this organization.

As they are drawn deeper into a world of technology, complete with nano particles and diseases, they must find a way to follow the trail of an intelligent madman, one who has developed a secret and deadly following, who is charismatic in the way that many fanatics are. Will they find the answer to the final plan, and if they do will they be able to pull the plug? Death and secrets follow them at every turn, and Gray finds that their nemesis is ahead of them in every respect. Can they get the drop they need, and will Dr. Crevan make a mistake, one that will give them the opportunity to shut down his plan and save the world?

Markus Kane has written a novel full of possibilities and realities. By using the anger and angst created by the terrorism of real current factions, and turning that about and against them in such a way as to create credible circumstances, he has created a fast paced and intelligent read. He has written his characters and given them dimension, finding both their strengths as well as their character flaws. Ian Gray is an excellent hero for our time, and Dr. Crevan makes a very credible protagonist. I found the technology and information systems informational as well as interesting. This area in many books seems slow and bogs you down, and yet while I did not understand everything, it was just a part of the backdrop, necessary to the story but not so overblown as to trip it up.

Ameriqaeda is written with an eye to reality, creating a haunting look at possibilities of the ever increasing terrorist actions perpetrated in our world today. It has characteristics of the day and yet is also creates a hero in the way of The Last Boy Scout, that one guy that will stand between terror and safety, someone to count on in time of need. I really enjoyed the story and yet it also disturbed me on many levels.

I would recommend this book as a great read. It will be appreciated by those that really love a good spy story, and while there is a realism that sets your teeth on edge, there is a also a little family and romance that lightens it up, making it more then just another spy story.